Players and Coaches Quotes

Orlando Magic Head Coach Doc Rivers:

"Obviously a tough loss. To fight so hard to get home court advantage and then give it back up is extremely disappointing. I thought our guys came in the game with great spirits. I thought the run that Charlotte made right after we made our run to start the game was probably because our spirits were too high."

Commenting on overtime: "I thought that Charlotte was more aggressive in overtime. When you give up 9 more offensive rebounds and your bench is outscored the way we were outscored today you can see why you lost the game."

Commenting on Baron Davis's shot at the end of regulation: "Initially I thought it was good. But when you think about it, it is impossible to catch, turn, jump and shoot in .08 seconds and that is basically what Bernie Fryer said right away. He said, 'I don't care if the clock said it was good or not, there is no way a guy can catch a ball, jump, turn and shoot in .08, it is impossible. I don't care what the clock says, I was not going to allow it.'"

Commenting on how he will keep the team's spirit high: "It's not tough to keep their spirits high. All this means is game #4 is a do-or-die situation for us. If we win that game, then game #5 is a do-or-die game for both teams. Basically, we lost a game, we didn't lose anything else but a game."

Tracy McGrady:

“They were the aggressor in overtime, they came out attacking right away. By the time we tried to attack, it was too late.”

On Hornet’s 1st qtr. run: “Teams are going to make their runs, we’ve just got to keep our poise. We can’t come back, execute, get stops, and get stops, every possession counts.”

“We played our ass off; you can’t play for any thing more. We felt like we blew our chance at the end of the ball game, it just didn’t work out for us.”

On his back: “I felt pretty good I the first half, struggled a little bit late in the game, my back tightened up on me. Can’t make excuses, but I’m out there playing, can’t worry about that.”

Pat Garrity:

On Hornet’s 1st qtr. run: “They just switched a little, they were the aggressors, they were attacking, they were making shots. But that wasn’t the game there, I mean obviously we had to expend a lot of energy to come back from it. The fourth quarter, it was an even ball game. That’s where this game was won or lost.”

On overtime: “I think it was just a matter of shots falling. We missed a couple of shots in overtime, our heads started hanging, they hit a couple of shots, and our heads started hanging more. That one or two shots, you know, they make and we don’t, it’s a huge momentum creator for them, takes away from us.”

Mike Miller:

“The draw-up was for T-Mac up top, but they doubled him and we didn’t have any time outs left so I was forced to pass it in to someone else. I passed it to Pat, he gave it back, I had an opportunity. It actually felt like my Butler shot in the Final Four run. It felt good, I didn’t get much lift on it which hurt, but I had a good look.”

Charlotte Hornets Head Coach Paul Silas:

“The refs never gave us a reason for why the shot wasn’t good. The replays will show you that it was good, but it’s in the hands of the refs, it’s at their discretion. They made the call and we had to get our composure back. Your heart sinks a little bit when something like that happens. We still thought the game was winnable, and we got off to a good start in overtime. That boosted our confidence. It was all about re-focusing and executing our offense well. I thought PJ came up really big hitting the baseline jumpers.”

On Charlotte’s advantage in rebounding this game: “In the second game we did not control the boards, and that’s one of the reasons we lost. This game was crucial, and we wanted to use our size. Baron was tremendous on the boards. We have to have everyone rebounding, and if we get that, then we can play with anybody.”

On PJ Brown’s offensive game: “Baron was penetrating and they were leaving PJ open on the baseline, and he can make that shot. He’s playing with great confidence and is playing extremely well. Whoever is playing for me has to shoot the open shot or they won’t play.”

On the team’s lack of support in Charlotte: “We still like our homecourt. When we do play on the road, we do know we have to play on all cylinders, and we can’t falter at all because we don’t have that extra boost from the crowd. Our focus defensively is a lot sharper on the road.”

Baron Davis:

“When it left my hands, I knew it was good. I thought I got it off in time, but the ref didn’t think so...so we had to go to overtime.”

“At the beginning of the game my back was a little tight. Overall, the rest of my body and my focus was at an ultimate high. I was willing to lay it all out on the line. In game two, when I got hurt, there was no way for it to get any better because that is when the injury happened. The last couple of days I have been getting treatment...massages...and stretching a lot. Once the game started and I was able to get some minutes under my belt, my back started to loosen up and that is why you saw me dunking.”

“I really wanted to be real aggressive especially in the fourth quarter and overtime because I felt I could get to the hoop any time. That way it would open up a lot of open shots for my teammates. The credit really goes to guys like P.J. Brown, Stacy Augmon, David Wesley, Jamaal Magloire. They knocked down big shots during the course of the fourth quarter. That allowed me to get into the lane and get to the line and make some free throws.”

P.J. Brown:

“It was a big win. It is going to be very tough to win here Tuesday night. Just to come down here and get the job done and get this one means a lot. It is a long way from being over with. The hardest game to win in this five game playoff series...is the closeout game. We made some mistakes and we still have some things to work on. We need to iron those things out and play the game of our lives on Tuesday night.”

“I’ve been in a lot of wars and a lot of battles. You have to play the whole game. They went up 22-8 on us and tried to really knock us out. That is why you play the whole 48 minutes.”

“The game should have been over with. The replay clearly shows that. You just have to let it go. The shot was in and I guess the guys in black and white are human too.”

“Paul just told us to stay focused and not worry about the call, and not be distracted. He said we deserve this game and let us go out and finish it out. Let’s go out and play 5 more minutes.”

David Wesley:

“We don’t want to disrespect our fans who are there. Maybe it is 5,000 or 9,000 like there was for Game 1 and Game 2. For those true fans in Charlotte, it is not their fault that we are leaving. Towards the end of the season and playoffs we have taken a new attitude about playing for us and making it happen.”

“We saw the replay on the apparent three-point shot and it was good. I don’t care what anybody else says...the same shot that Reggie Miller shot last night (vs. New Jersey) and it was good. We had to win that game twice.”